'....In 2010, the FDA concluded that the AquaAdvantage fish was just as safe as traditional salmon to eat. Only now, however, has it been finally able to release its environmental assessment report, one of the final steps before AquaBounty can be given the green light.....'

'The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is often accused of serving industry at the expense of consumers. But even FDA defenders are shocked by reports this week of an institutionalized FDA spying program on its own scientists, lawmakers, reporters and academics that included an enemies list of "actors" and collaborators....

The paranoid and retaliatory email monitoring program, which sought to suppress the safety opinions of those hired to give their safety opinions, has provoked swift action from Capitol Hill. "I am writing to express my disappointment and disbelief with the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has retaliated against whistleblowers who expressed concern to Members of Congress and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) regarding safety concerns about medical products....

...top FDA managers "committed the most outrageous misconduct by ordering, coercing and intimidating FDA physicians and scientists to recommend approval, and then retaliating when the physicians and scientists refused to go along."

"the truth will stand up, when nothing else will" - annie's mom

"When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." - Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

So let me guess.....They will/have patented the fish that will sneak out into open waters and mate with other fish. Then they will claim ownership of all the fishies in the waters. That is the least of our worries on this one.

Quoting: KimmieAnnaJones

Patented fish. I never thought of that. Trial and error. I can only hope to survive the 'errors'.

Genetically modified salmon is composed of DNA of different fish including eel. There are debates going on whether it could start new allergies and cause cancer. No long term studies pertaining to these questions exist. There's a possibility that if the fish escapes in to the ocean, it could cause havoc in our environment and since it grows so fast, deplete the food of the fish in nature that were not tapered with by scientists.The GMO salmon does not have to be labeled as GMO food. Any Atlantic salmon you buy in the future could be genetically modified. Enjoy your Frankenfish at your favorite Sushi restaurant and at your dinnertable...

I am not a pot smoker and I don't want to get into that debate, but I believe in Hemp as a crop that could feed people. I buy the seeds as a snack. They are not bad and have some good fats in them. They are high in protein. I personally eat sardines. They aren't my fave fish but they are edible, and they grow really fast and are really high in Omega 3's. Quinoa, millet and other crops are very nutritious and higher in protein so you can feed more people with less of it. Corn is just crap, filler, little nutrition value.

Maybe we just need to grow more of the nutritious crops and less of the crap, filler crops? Genetic engineering is never going to be the answer unless you are hoping civilization dies out much more quickly.

There are no limits as to how to increase profits and to quick boost the economy. Get ready for the Frankenturkey, Frankensteak and even Franken Vegan Food next.The human species is a neurotic, unbalanced, ego and profit driven race that managed to destroy the planet's ecosystem and environment with their scientific and technological "Advancements" in less than 50 years.It poisoned the oceans, the air, irreversibly destroyed forests and the earth's soil. It created means to self-destruct the entire planet in less than a day.

But...it takes pride in all the technological, scientific and medical "advances" that keep humans alive longer than ever before, but usually forgets to mention that the extra years of life are marked by debilitating modern day chronic diseases that need constant medication, medical intervention and care. Forget about neurological diseases, the rise of the dementia epidemic, autism and high numbers of cancer.Ignoring all this, business is conducted as usual, critics and ethics are being ignored. Quick profit disregarding any potential consequences is all that matters.Don't be surprised if the rich start genetically modifying their kids to make them into FRANKENkids who live for 500 years without a conscience, and with a sick sense of entitlement.

"On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration released an environmental assessment report regarding a salmon-hybrid developed in the laboratories of AquaBounty. The FDA must wait two months before they make final their decision regarding the fate of the frankenfish, but through their study they have determined that the genetically engineered animal, the “AquAdvantage,” is safe enough to be sold.

The fish, a hybrid of the Pacific Chinook salmon and a ray-finned creature called the eelpout, is engineered to grow twice as normal as traditional salmon. Once the frankenfish is approved for good, AquaBounty will be able to offer meatier fish able to feed more people....

“This is a radical new technology. We need very good, careful, close regulation, and we just don't have that. We can't be assured of the safety of any of these genetically engineered organisms,” he said."

The assessment, which relies heavily on data provided by AquaBounty, ignores the fact that up to five percent of the fish may be fertile at a commercial scale. This opens the possibility that fertile, genetically engineered fish could escape into local waterways and wreak havoc on the ecosystem and already threatened wild salmon populations. The FDA also ignores risks posed to the public, since genetically engineered salmon have higher levels of IGF-1, a growth hormone that, according to the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, may increase the risk of several types of cancer. Additionally, some tests on allergenicity had a shockingly small sample size of six to twelve fish.

Despite receiving nearly 400,000 public comments, letters signed by more than 300 environmental, public interest, fishing, and animal welfare organizations and restaurants, a letter signed by forty members of Congress, and letters from state legislatures demanding that the FDA deny approval of this fish, the Obama administration has taken the final step towards approval of this genetically engineered salmon. Numerous polls show that the vast majority of Americans feel the FDA should not allow genetically engineered fish and meat into the marketplace and support labeling of genetically engineered food. A 30-day comment period on this assessment will be opened in the Federal Register before the fish is officially approved for human consumption.“Today the Obama administration stated loud and clear that it is more interested in protecting the profits of the biotechnology industry than public health, wild fisheries or our environment. ...genetically engineered salmon pose serious threats to the environment and the public.”

Half of the 10 coho salmon tested since the Fukushima disaster were contaminated with cesium. One coho caught in Japanese coastal waters last October had 114 Bq/kg of cesium, surpassing Japan’s ceiling. Chum salmon, on the other hand, showed much less contamination than coho, with only nine of 257 chum catches since the accident testing positive for cesium. The highest amount detected was eight Bq/kg in a catch last November.

Among the hardest-hit fish species are landlocked salmon. Every one of the 42 kokanee (a landlocked sockeye salmon) tested since March 2011 had at least some cesium contamination. Japan exported $430,000 of kokanee to Canada in the first four months of 2012, according to Statistics Canada figures.